The George Trundle NZ Masters is an annual invitational event hosted by the Auckland Chess Centre. Sponsored by former New Zealand championship player George Trundle, the Masters and Qualifier events are 10-player round-robins designed to give IM norm chances to local players. This year the top seed in the Masters was English GM Gawain Jones, whose relationship with New Zealand WIM Sue Maroroa affords him frequent opportunities to play in this part of the world. Despite a hefty rating gap back to the next two seeds, Australians IM Stephen Solomon and GM Darryl Johansen, Jones only secured victory with a last round victory over Solomon. This was partly due to an early upset loss to Auckland's Mike Steadman. Fresh from gaining the FM title a few months ago, Steadman finished as the highest local player. The final scores were Jones 7½/9; Johansen, Solomon 6; Steadman 5; Bruce Watson 4½; Stephen Lukey 4; Robert Smith, Tim Reilly 3½; Nic Croad 3; Ralph Hart 2.
Today's game is Steadman's valiant effort against Jones (playing Black) to earn a rare victory over a strong grandmaster.
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Bd3 Nc6 6.Nge2 Nd7 7.Be3 e5 8.d5 Nd4 9.Nb5 Nxb5
In an unusual variant of the King's Indian Defence this exchange has the drawback of opening the c-file onto Black's backward c-pawn. The alternative is 9...Nxe2. 10.cxb5 O-O 11.Ng3 h5 12.Qc2 b6
Necessary to organise the key thematic thrust for Black, f7-f5, but leaves queenside weaknesses for White to target. 13.f3 h4 14.Ne2 Nc5 15.Bc4 f5 16.b4 Nd7 17.Bd3 Rf7 18.Rc1 Nf8 19.Qc6 Rb8 20.h3 Bf6 21.Qc2 Bg5 22.Qd2 Nh7 23.a4 Ra8 24.a5 Bd7 25.Nc3 Qf6 26.Ra1 Bf4 27.Bxf4 exf4 28.Rc1 Re8 29.Kd1! ---
White holds the long-term positional trumps on the queenside, but his achilles heel is the safety of his king. He correctly avoids kingside castling (29 0-0? Qd4+ loses a pawn, but the kingside is not a safe haven anyway) and attempts to find shelter on the queenside. 29.--- bxa5 30.bxa5 Qd4 31.Ra1 Ng5 32.Ra4 Qe5?!
Losing a pawn – 33...Qc5! does not allow the game continuation. 33.exf5! Bxf5 34.Rxf4 Bxd3 35.Rxf7 Kxf7 36.Qxd3 Qf4
With the queen on c5, here 36...Re3 would have won a piece. White's exposed king makes the win extremely difficult, but his inspired use of the fourth rank allows him to activate his rook and gain positional as well as material ascendency. 37.Qd2 Qb4 38.Kc2 Nh7 39.Ra1! Nf6 40.Ra4 Qc5 41.Rxh4 Re5 42.Rd4 Qa3 43.f4 Re7 44.Ra4 Qc5 45.Kb2 Qg1 46.Rc4 Qf1 47.Kb3 Qa1 48.a6 Qf1 49.Qd4! ---
Centralising the queen spells the end for Black – White controls the board. 49.--- Qa1 50.g4 Nd7 51.Rxc7! Nc5+
Winning the exchange, but White's pawns are overwhelming. Black fights on to the thrilling finish, hoping rook and queen can generate threats before White's second queen enters the game. 52.Rxc5 dxc5 53.Qxc5 Qh1 54.d6 Re1 55.Qxa7+ Kf8 56.Qb8+ Kf7 57.Qc7+ Kf8 58.a7 Re3 59.Qb8+ Kg7 60.a8=Q Qb1+ 61.Kc4 Qd3+ 62.Kc5 Qxc3+ 63.Kb6 Qd4+ 64.Kc7 Qc4+ 65.Qc6 Qxf4 66.Qd7+ Kh6 67.Qh8+ Resigns
Next move is mate.
Jones tested in George Trundle Masters
Problem: White to play and mate in three.
The George Trundle NZ Masters is an annual invitational event hosted by the Auckland Chess Centre. Sponsored by former New Zealand championship player George Trundle, the Masters and Qualifier events are 10-player round-robins designed to give IM norm chances to local players. This year the top seed in the Masters was English GM Gawain Jones, whose relationship with New Zealand WIM Sue Maroroa affords him frequent opportunities to play in this part of the world. Despite a hefty rating gap back to the next two seeds, Australians IM Stephen Solomon and GM Darryl Johansen, Jones only secured victory with a last round victory over Solomon. This was partly due to an early upset loss to Auckland's Mike Steadman. Fresh from gaining the FM title a few months ago, Steadman finished as the highest local player. The final scores were Jones 7½/9; Johansen, Solomon 6; Steadman 5; Bruce Watson 4½; Stephen Lukey 4; Robert Smith, Tim Reilly 3½; Nic Croad 3; Ralph Hart 2.
Today's game is Steadman's valiant effort against Jones (playing Black) to earn a rare victory over a strong grandmaster.
1.d4 Nf6
2.c4 g6
3.Nc3 Bg7
4.e4 d6
5.Bd3 Nc6
6.Nge2 Nd7
7.Be3 e5
8.d5 Nd4
9.Nb5 Nxb5
In an unusual variant of the King's Indian Defence this exchange has the drawback of opening the c-file onto Black's backward c-pawn. The alternative is 9...Nxe2.
10.cxb5 O-O
11.Ng3 h5
12.Qc2 b6
Necessary to organise the key thematic thrust for Black, f7-f5, but leaves queenside weaknesses for White to target.
13.f3 h4
14.Ne2 Nc5
15.Bc4 f5
16.b4 Nd7
17.Bd3 Rf7
18.Rc1 Nf8
19.Qc6 Rb8
20.h3 Bf6
21.Qc2 Bg5
22.Qd2 Nh7
23.a4 Ra8
24.a5 Bd7
25.Nc3 Qf6
26.Ra1 Bf4
27.Bxf4 exf4
28.Rc1 Re8
29.Kd1! ---
White holds the long-term positional trumps on the queenside, but his achilles heel is the safety of his king. He correctly avoids kingside castling (29 0-0? Qd4+ loses a pawn, but the kingside is not a safe haven anyway) and attempts to find shelter on the queenside.
29.--- bxa5
30.bxa5 Qd4
31.Ra1 Ng5
32.Ra4 Qe5?!
Losing a pawn – 33...Qc5! does not allow the game continuation.
33.exf5! Bxf5
34.Rxf4 Bxd3
35.Rxf7 Kxf7
36.Qxd3 Qf4
With the queen on c5, here 36...Re3 would have won a piece. White's exposed king makes the win extremely difficult, but his inspired use of the fourth rank allows him to activate his rook and gain positional as well as material ascendency.
37.Qd2 Qb4
38.Kc2 Nh7
39.Ra1! Nf6
40.Ra4 Qc5
41.Rxh4 Re5
42.Rd4 Qa3
43.f4 Re7
44.Ra4 Qc5
45.Kb2 Qg1
46.Rc4 Qf1
47.Kb3 Qa1
48.a6 Qf1
49.Qd4! ---
Centralising the queen spells the end for Black – White controls the board.
49.--- Qa1
50.g4 Nd7
51.Rxc7! Nc5+
Winning the exchange, but White's pawns are overwhelming. Black fights on to the thrilling finish, hoping rook and queen can generate threats before White's second queen enters the game.
52.Rxc5 dxc5
53.Qxc5 Qh1
54.d6 Re1
55.Qxa7+ Kf8
56.Qb8+ Kf7
57.Qc7+ Kf8
58.a7 Re3
59.Qb8+ Kg7
60.a8=Q Qb1+
61.Kc4 Qd3+
62.Kc5 Qxc3+
63.Kb6 Qd4+
64.Kc7 Qc4+
65.Qc6 Qxf4
66.Qd7+ Kh6
67.Qh8+ Resigns
Next move is mate.
1-0
Solution: 1 Rxa6+! Rxa6 (1... Kxa6 2 Qa4#) 2 Qd7+ Kb6 (2...Qb7/c7 3 QxQ#) 3 c5#.